I just read an article about Harper Lee this morning where she was talking about literary fiction and "In one letter, [Lee] emphasized the importance of narrative and plot: 'You can be literary as hell BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?'" This book was the exact opposite of that.
This book drew me long with a snappy plot and the whole thing was almost over when I realized, "Holy shit! That paragraph has 12 semicolons!" (Okay, maybe it wasn't 12 but it was at least 10) and I realized that this was some literary fiction that I was reading. I am such a plot person, I don't usually notice the quality of writing. My one line in the sand is that it needs to feel real. I don't want to be pulled out of my comfy story by awkward writing, but it doesn't need to do tricks for me.
This book had some beautiful writing and it also taught me some stuff about birds and physics and compassion and loss and tragedy and love. And it had a wonderful plot. On the surface it is about Lily, and to a degree, her sister Jane, who grow up at the Catholic school where their father teaches in Rhode Island. Jane loves math and Lily eventually loves "the boy." He is her soulmate, but a random series of events pull them apart and she has to live her adult life without him. Some stuff happens to her, some stuff happens to Jane and it is tragic and at the same time wonderful. There is so much beautiful truth in this book that it is clearly making me a little sappy.
I was looking in Goodreads for the number of pages for my spreadsheet and I noticed that it only has a 3.78 score which is surprising to me, but I am not reading any reviews until I post this because I don't want anyone yucking my yum. I think this is going to be HUGE for middle aged lady book clubs. I hate the title, it just will not stick in my head for love or money, but I loved the emotions this story evoked.
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